The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
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With the recent rash of opinions handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court this spring, there has been a great deal of conversation about whether the 'democracy' is at risk. Whether we are a republic or a democracy, of course, depends on how one defines the terms. Some would say that a democracy is when two wolves and a sheep vote on what to have for dinner. Our national Constitution guarantees a "republican form of government," and presumably, our forefathers meant that the...
Those of us who watch such things are well aware that Senator Murkowski has been the strong vocal lead in the Senate when it comes to sounding the alarm that the country is at substantial risk due to our reliance on foreign countries for the critical minerals that we need, not just for our 21st Century lifestyle, but also for our national defense. Over the past decade, Sen. Murkowski has consistently done yeoman service when it came to getting legislation concerning the...
When I first heard the term "greenwashed," I naturally assumed that it referred to the endless stream of misrepresentations that the American Environmental Industry dumps on a gullible public as part of its fundraising technique. When I looked into it, however, I discovered that it was a pejorative intended by professional Environmentalists to attack other industrial sectors who represented that their various products were somehow more environmentally friendly than their compe...
On April 12, 2013, Governor Sean Parnell signed into law Senate Bill 1, "An Act establishing May 10 of each year as Alaska Mining Day; and providing for an effective date" (Chapter 6, SLA 2013), sponsored by State Senator Cathy Giessel and thirteen other senators as well as nineteen members of the State House of Representatives, commemorating the enactment of the General Mining Law of 1872. This year, on the 150th anniversary of the General Mining Law, the Alaska Miners...
This past week the Biden Administration released a document ineptly entitled "Fundamental Principles for Domestic Mining Reform." It would have been more accurately called "Eleven Ways to End Mining in America." It is not difficult to understand why an East Coast boy from Delaware (or maybe Scranton) would have no affinity with the American mining industry. Among other things, Mr. Biden probably could not identify three distinctions between a jackleg and a jackass, other than...
In today's topsy-turvy world, perhaps the question we all should be asking is, in the unforgettable opening words of Admiral James Stockdale during the 1992 Vice Presidential debate, "Who am I, why am I here?". Admiral Stockdale was the person chosen to be Independent Ross Perot's Presidential running mate. His challengers were then-President George Bush and then Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. Perot garnered about 19.7 million votes, many of which might have gone to...
In 1951, Life Magazine (remember "Life"?) dubbed the New York Times the "Old Gray Lady" "by way of acknowledging its special marks: starch conservatism and circumspection." How things have changed! The punster in me, however, simply says "that's life." While Life no longer lingers on, the Old Gray Lady has taken on a life of its own. No longer burdened by conservatism and circumspection, the Times perpetually searches out new and different ways to attack the innovative. Most r...
If global warming and the associated risk of climate change is due, at least in part, to anthropomorphic causes, it stands to reason that there are too many anthropoids (specifically, humanoids) hanging around. We have always known, I think, that overpopulation is a grave problem to life on earth, primarily because humans, like cockroaches, are omnivorous, ubiquitous, and prolific. It has been said that you could accommodate the entire population of earth in the Grand Canyon....
If there is one thing that most Americans can probably agree on, I think, it is that Joe Biden is the worst President we have had since Donald Trump. Since they both had a lot of things on their respective plates to deal with, such as COVID, immigration, and foreign affairs, it is appropriate to look at where we are and how we got here. With regard to COVID, despite a massive federal effort by the incumbent to bridge over the failures of his predecessor, we are still in the...
Decennially, the question of whether Alaska shall have a constitutional convention must appear on the ballot. Alaskans have voted on this issue five times since 1972 and defeated it soundly each time. The question will be on the ballot again in 2022, so it is timely for the voters (and potential voters) to give the matter some thought. As with most matters political, the best place to begin any discussion is to comprehend the context in which the question arises. An...
Following the model set by other successful generals such as George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight Eisenhower, after having essentially won the War in Europe, went on to become Presidents of the United States. "I like[d] Ike" just as millions of post-war Americans did, but I am not convinced that he was our greatest President. If the truth be known, he probably had more in common with the likes of President Grant, who tried harder to support the...
Over the past quadrennial, there has been a great deal of conversation about "truth." Especially in the political arena. Ostensibly, the number of "lies" that have emanated from the mouth of the former President have run to the tens of thousands, if you happen to "believe" the Washington Post and other leading newspapers. Inferentially, one could conclude that politicians have a corner on prevarication; however, that is likewise demonstrably untrue. Where I went to high...
Although new cases of COVID-19 are still appearing throughout the nation in general and Alaska in particular, at the moment they are hovering at the 40-per-day level apparently. The vaccine is working. Operation Warp Speed succeeded in making it safe for most people to go most places most of the time safely. This is good news, especially for those who make their living in remote locations, such as exploration geologists and placer miners. It is fair to say, I think, that the m...
I always tend to look at the world through the wrong end of the telescope. For instance, many people regard the so-called political divisions in our country as being a problem, but for me, it is an expression of diversity. To be sure, Congress is divided, allegedly along "party" lines; however, the last time I checked, the Republican "party" is ensconced into two camps, which tend to vote together on most important issues. The Democrat "party" on the other hand consists of...
In February, the Alaska Miners Association (AMA) released its annual report on the Economic Benefits of Alaska's Mining Industry. That report highlighted the fact that 4,700 direct and 9,600 indirect jobs in the state are attributable to mining activities. In addition, $890,000,000 (not counting benefits) in direct and indirect payroll are earned by Alaskans and another $880,000,000 are spent on goods and services purchased from Alaska's vendors. The industry also distributes...
Without a doubt, 2020 was somewhat less than a perfect year. If you didn't like the way it started out, with an impeachment and a pandemic dominating the news, you might not have liked the way it ended, with a pandemic and an impeachment dominating the news. While miners from one end of Alaska to the other were doing whatever they could to remain safe and in business, travel restrictions and quarantines certainly did not make things any easier. Whether you were a Trumper or a...
It has often been said that one should never watch sausages or laws being made. There are good reasons for saying that, especially in our quasi-democratic environment. For just cause we have barriers to rabble-rule, including things like executive vetoes, impeachment, and periodic elections. These safeguards, however, do not keep the "representatives of the people" from coming up with inconsistent, incomprehensible, and incredibly awful laws. Fortunately, again, we have two...
The fourth quarter in any given year, actually the period between Columbus Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, is always an interesting period. Every eighth year (more frequently with one-term Presidencies), the interest level is enhanced by office-holder shifts. I have long thought that the reference to the Roman calendar is a little odd because it bears no resemblance to the parade of contemporaneous events. For instance, the federal fiscal year begins on October 1....
The successful appointment of Justice Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court has possibly put an end for the time being to the national drift to the political left. Without disparaging any advocates for social change, a welcome time-out may be expected in the relentless erosion in some of America's time-honored values. Political progress is always warranted in small doses, but the difference between a medicine and a poison is in the amount administered. Stating it otherwise, the...
Every four years Americans get the delicious treat of a Presidential campaign during which contenders for leadership of the free world get to stand before the electorate and pontificate about matters they perceive to be of interest to the nation. My perpetual reaction to this humorous exercise is to recall the infamous words of Winston Churchill who noted that "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others." Of course, thankfully, we do not live in a...
Each July for the past four decades I have traveled to the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation’s Annual Institute for the purpose of maintaining my credentials as a lawyer and to keep abreast of developments in the mining industry. Each year I come away with new information and a better insight into matters of interest to me and my clients. One cannot practice mining law for very long without realizing that there is a mountain of statutes and regulations that impact the i...
Political differences, public demonstrations, a mortal pandemic, climate evolution, economic rebalancing plus a flood of other disasters have welled up over the past score of years to make our times "interesting." In a speech in Cape Town, South Africa, in June 1966, Robert Kennedy said: "There is a Chinese curse which says, 'May we live in interesting times.'" Of course, he was wrong. There is no such Chinese curse; however, the point was clear then as it is now. So far in...
If I were to write a letter to the President of the United States, it would probably go something like this: Dear Mr. President – Notwithstanding the aggressive Executive Orders that you have signed dealing with the regulatory burden on small businesses in the United States, it appears that you have missed an important point. Regulatory requirements are straitjackets on the economy, and one size simply does not fit all. Over the past 50 years, the Executive Branch has i...
Since statehood at least and, to a certain extent, since the earliest territorial days, Alaska has depended on the development of its resources for its prosperity. Fishing and mining were among the earliest major industries to evolve. As the abandoned millsites and canneries around the state will attest, those industries have waxed and waned cyclically. Oil and gas development also made a major impact on the State and undoubtedly will continue to do so well into the future;...
In the current environment, it is difficult to avoid discussing the elephant in the room. Essentially, we need to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect mining activities in Alaska in the near and long term. While misinformation and speculation about the disease is rampant, some basic facts seem indisputable – the disease is highly contagious, infected people are often asymptomatic, and there does not appear to be any approved anti-viral available yet. The control m...
